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of a blood-defiled purpose, with a man-slaying mind, with blood-stained hands. And they were saying, Do you think that he will not come to the feast? They plotted because of the Passover, and they made the time of the feast a time of slaughter; that is, Here he must fall, the time calling him. O the impiety! when there was need of greater reverence, and to release those apprehended for the worst crimes, then they attempt to hunt the one who had done no wrong. And yet, having already done this, not only did they gain nothing, but they also became ridiculous. For this reason, constantly falling into their hands he escapes, and he restrains those plotting to kill him and makes them helpless, wishing to pierce them with the demonstration of his power; and so that when they take him, they might learn that what was happening was not by their own strength, but by his permission. For not even then were they able to seize him, and that with Bethany being near; and when they did seize him, he threw them on their backs. But six days before the Passover he came to Bethany, where Lazarus was; and he was feasting with them, and Martha serves, and Lazarus eats. And this was a sign of a genuine resurrection, to be both living and eating after many days. From which it is clear, that the meal was in her house; for being friends and beloved, they receive Jesus. But some say that this happened in another's house. But Mary was not serving; for she was a disciple. Again here she is more spiritual. For she did not serve as one called, nor does she make her service a common one; but she bestows the honor on him alone; and she approaches not as to a man, but as to God. For for this reason she poured out the ointment, and wiped with the hair of her head, which acts were not of one having such an opinion about him as the many had. 59.363 But Judas rebuked, under a pretense, forsooth, of piety. What then did Christ say? She has done a good work for my burial. But why did he not rebuke the disciple in front of the woman, nor say what the evangelist said, that because of his own thievery he rebuked the woman? By his great long-suffering he wished to turn him to repentance. For that he knew that he was a traitor, he had rebuked him many times from the beginning, saying: Not all believe; and, One of you is a devil. So he made it clear that he knew him to be a traitor, but he did not rebuke him openly, but permitted him, wishing to recall him. How then does another say, that all the disciples said this? Both all of them, and he; but the rest not with the same intention. But if someone should examine, why to one who was a thief he entrusted the money box of the poor, and made one who was a lover of money to be a steward? we would say this, that God knows the secret reason; but if we must say something by conjecture, it was so that he might cut off every excuse. For he could not say that he did this for the love of money (for he had sufficient consolation for his desire from the money box); but through great wickedness, which Christ wished to restrain, using great condescension towards him. Therefore he did not even accuse him when he was stealing, although he knew, blocking the wicked desire, and removing every defense. Let her alone, he says; for she did this for the day of my burial. Again he reminded the traitor, by speaking of his burial. But the rebuke does not reach him, nor does the word soften him, although it was sufficient to cast him into pity; as if he were saying: I am burdensome and oppressive; but wait a little, and I will depart. For he was also arranging this in saying: But you do not always have me. But none of these things bent the brutish and mad one, although he both said and did much more than these things, and he washed his feet on that very night, and he shared his table and salt with him; which is known to restrain even the souls of robbers (and he spoke other words, able to soften even stone); and these things not long before, but on that very day, so that not even time might cast it into forgetfulness. But he stood against everything. 3. For terrible is the love of money, terrible; and it cripples eyes and ears, and makes men more savage than a beast, not conscience,

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μιαιφόνου προαιρέσεως, μετὰ ἀνδροφόνου διανοίας, μετὰ ᾑμαγμένων χειρῶν. Καὶ ἔλεγον· ∆οκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ μὴ ἔλθῃ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ; ∆ιὰ τοῦ Πάσχα ἐπεβούλευον, καὶ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἑορτῆς ἐποιοῦντο καιρὸν σφαγῆς· τουτέστιν, Ἐνταῦθα αὐτὸν ἐμπεσεῖν δεῖ, τοῦ καιροῦ καλοῦντος αὐτόν. Ὢ τῆς ἀσεβείας! ὅτε πλείονος ἔδει τῆς εὐλαβείας, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐσχάτοις εἰλημμένους ἀφιέναι, τότε τὸν οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότα θηρεῦσαι ἐπιχειροῦσι. Καίτοι καὶ ἤδη τοῦτο ποιήσαντες, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν ὤνησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταγέλαστοι γεγόνασι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ἐμπίπτων διαφεύγει, καὶ βουλευομένους αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν κατέχει καὶ ἀπορεῖν ποιεῖ, τῇ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀποδείξει κατανύξαι βουλόμενος· καὶ ἵνα ὅταν λάβωσιν αὐτὸν, μάθωσιν ὅτι οὐ τῆς οἰκείας ἰσχύος ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκείνου συγχωρήσεως τὸ γινόμενον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τότε ἴσχυσαν αὐτὸν συλλαβεῖν, καὶ ταῦτα πλησίον οὔσης τῆς Βηθανίας· καὶ ὅτε δὲ συνέλαβον, ἔῤῥιψεν αὐτοὺς ὑπτίους. Πρὸ ἓξ δὲ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα ἦλθεν εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος· καὶ εἱστιᾶτο παρ' αὐτοῖς, καὶ Μάρθα διακονεῖ, καὶ Λάζαρος ἐσθίει. Τοῦτο δὲ τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς ἀναστάσεως σημεῖον ἦν, τὸ μετὰ ἡμέρας πολλὰς καὶ ζῇν καὶ ἐσθίειν. Ὅθεν δῆλον, ὅτι ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτῆς τὸ ἄριστον ἦν· ἅτε γὰρ φίλοι καὶ φιλούμενοι, δέχονται τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Τινὲς δέ φασιν ὅτι ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ οἰκίᾳ τοῦτο ἐγένετο. Ἡ δὲ Μαρία οὐ διηκόνει· μαθήτρια γὰρ ἦν. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα αὕτη πνευματικώτερον. Οὐ διηκόνει γὰρ ὡς κεκλημένη, οὐδὲ κοινὴν ποιεῖται τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν· ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὸν μόνον περιίστησι τὴν τιμήν· καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ πρόσεισιν, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεῷ. Τὸ γὰρ μύρον διὰ τοῦτο ἐξέχεε, καὶ ταῖς θριξὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἀπέμαξεν, ἅτινα οὐκ ἦν ὑπόληψιν ἐχούσης περὶ αὐτοῦ τοιαύτην, οἵαν οἱ πολλοί. 59.363 Ἀλλ' ἐπετίμησεν ὁ Ἰούδας, προσχήματι δῆθεν εὐλαβείας. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἔργον καλὸν ἐποίησεν εἰς τὸν ἐνταφιασμόν μου. Τί δήποτε δὲ οὐκ ἤλεγξε τὸν μαθητὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γυναικὸς, οὐδὲ εἶπε τοῦτο ὅπερ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς εἶπεν, ὅτι διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν κλοπὴν ἐπετίμα τῇ γυναικί; Τῇ πολλῇ μακροθυμίᾳ ἐντρέψαι αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο. Ὅτι γὰρ ᾔδει ὅτι προδότης ἦν, ἄνωθεν αὐτὸν ἤλεγξε πολλάκις, εἰπών· Οὐ πάντες πιστεύουσι· καὶ, Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν διάβολός ἐστιν. Ἐδήλωσε μὲν οὖν, ὅτι οἶδεν αὐτὸν προδότην, οὐκ ἤλεγξε δὲ φανερῶς, ἀλλὰ συνεχώρησεν, ἀνακαλέσασθαι αὐτὸν θέλων. Πῶς οὖν ἄλλος φησὶν, ὅτι πάντες οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦτο ἐφθέγξαντο; Καὶ πάντες, κἀκεῖνος· ἀλλ' οἱ λοιποὶ οὐ τῇ αὐτῇ προαιρέσει. Εἰ δέ τις ἐξετάζοι, τί δήποτε κλέπτῃ ὄντι τὸ γλωσσόκομον ἐνεχείρισε τῶν πτωχῶν, καὶ οἰκονομεῖν ἐποίησε φιλάργυρον ὄντα; ἐκεῖνο ἂν εἴποιμεν, ὅτι τὸν μὲν ἀπόῤῥητον λόγον ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν· εἰ δέ τι χρὴ ἡμᾶς στοχαζομένους εἰπεῖν, ἵνα πᾶσαν ἐκκόψῃ πρόφασιν. Οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν εἰπεῖν, ὅτι διὰ χρημάτων ἔρωτα τοῦτο ἐποίησε (καὶ γὰρ ἱκανὴν εἶχεν ἐκ τοῦ γλωσσοκόμου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὴν παραμυθίαν)· ἀλλὰ διὰ πονηρίαν πολλὴν, ἣν ἐβούλετο κατέχειν ὁ Χριστὸς, πολλῇ συγκαταβάσει πρὸς αὐτὸν κεχρημένος. ∆ιὸ οὐδὲ ἐνεκάλει αὐτῷ κλέπτοντι, καίτοι γε εἰδὼς, ἐμφράττων τὴν πονηρὰν ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξαίρων ἀπολογίαν. Ἄφετε αὐτὴν, φησίν· εἰς γὰρ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ ἐνταφιασμοῦ μου τοῦτο ἐποίησε. Πάλιν τὸν προδότην ἀνέμνησεν, ἐνταφιασμὸν εἰπών. Ἀλλ' οὐ καθικνεῖται αὐτοῦ ὁ ἔλεγχος, οὐδὲ μαλάσσει τὸ ῥῆμα, καίτοι ἱκανὸν αὐτὸν εἰς οἶκτον ἐμβαλεῖν· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν· Ἐπαχθής εἰμι καὶ φορτικός· ἀλλὰ ἀνάμεινον μικρὸν, καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο κατεσκεύαζεν ἐν τῷ λέγειν· Ἐμὲ δὲ οὐ πάντοτε ἔχετε. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων τὸν θηριώδη καὶ μαινόμενον ἐπέκαμψε, καίτοι γε καὶ τούτων πολλῷ πλείονα καὶ εἶπε καὶ ἐποίησε, καὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ἔνιψε κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν νύκτα, καὶ τραπέζης αὐτῷ μετέδωκε καὶ ἁλῶν· ὃ καὶ τὰς λῃστρικὰς οἶδε κατέχειν ψυχὰς (καὶ ῥήματα ἕτερα ἐφθέγξατο, ἱκανὰ καὶ λίθον μαλάξαι)· καὶ ταῦτα οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τοῦ χρόνου, ἀλλ' ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ἵνα μηδὲ ὁ χρόνος εἰς λήθην ἐμβάλῃ. Ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἅπαντα ἔστη. γʹ. ∆εινὸν γὰρ ἡ φιλαργυρία, δεινόν· καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ὦτα πηροῖ, καὶ θηρίου χαλεπωτέρους ποιεῖ, οὐ συνειδὸς,